How to Make Biodiesel Fast
Biodiesel is one of the very few real fuels the average person can make at home. Biodiesel is essentially just natural oil (corn, soy, canola, vegetable) with the sticky glycerin removed; simply done if you know how. However, making large batches requires a complex testing procedure (called titration) that may be outside the layman's expertise. But by mixing the ingredients in the proper proportions, you can skip titration altogether while returning an acceptable and usable product.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 liter of unused vegetable oil
- A variable speed blender with glass pitcher
- 1 bottle of powdered lye drain cleaner
- At least 200 ml of methanol
- One glass container marked for 200 ml
- Stainless steel spoon
- Meat thermometer
- Purified water
- 2-gallon pot
- Ladle
- 10-micron filter
Instructions
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Making the Biodiesel
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1
Measure out 200 ml of methanol and 3.5 grams of lye powder.
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2
Pour methanol into the blender. With the blender set on its lowest speed, slowly add the lye until it dissolves (resulting in a mixture called sodium methoxide). Continue running the blender for about 2 minutes.
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3
Add 1 liter of vegetable oil to the sodium methoxide.
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4
Set the blender to its lowest speed for 30 minutes.
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5
Pour the mixture into a soup pot.
Washing the Mixture
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6
Place the pot on the stove, and add 2 liters of pure water.
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7
Set the stove on medium-high heat until the biodiesel/water mixture reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
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8
Stir slowly but continuously for 30 minutes, vigorously stirring every five. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to settle for 12 hours.
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9
Ladle biodiesel from the top of the soup pot into a clean pitcher, making sure not to pollute the "clean" biodiesel with the washwater beneath. Dispose of the washwater.
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10
Pour biodiesel back into pot, raise the temperature back up to 130 degrees and maintain for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow it to cool and pour the mixture through a 10-micron filter before storing.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Methanol is sold commercially as the fuel line anti-freeze "Heet" (available at any auto parts store); Heet comes in both methanol and methanol-free formulas. Make sure you get the one that says "contains methanol" on the label.
You can repeat the wash cycle as many times as you need to until the washwater comes out clear. Every time you wash the biodiesel you're helping to rid it of excess lye, which can eat the seals in your engine.
This recipe is scalable up to about 2 gallons of oil; after that you'll want to titrate the mixture or you risk introducing far too much lye. The excess lye will wash out sooner or later, but it takes a lot less time to test the mixture than it will to wash out an extremely excessive lye content.
Use extreme caution when dealing with both methanol and lye; they're both extremely toxic and will cause extreme damage to your eyes if they come into contact with them.
References
- Photo Credit Soy beans on green leaf image by Monika 3 Steps Ahead from Fotolia.com
